Alister Trier, chief executive of the NT's Department of Primary Industry, said over the past two years, the government had been approached by several Chinese companies wanting access to feral donkeys in the Northern Territory.

"The interest has been quite significant; we've had well over a dozen enquiries from different Chinese interests," Mr Trier said.

"But we need to be clear that a lot of those enquires were primarily driven by the view that there were huge numbers of donkeys roaming around the Northern Territory.

Used in traditional Chinese medicine, these bottles of ejiao are made from boiling donkey hides.

Supplied: Alister Trier

No protocols currently in place regarding NT donkey exports

Alister Trier said the NT Government had been doing some background work for potential Chinese investors.

This work includes mapping the NT's donkey population, ascertaining tenure arrangements for donkey farming, and looking at the regulatory hurdles of being able to transport, process and export donkey products.

There are currently no protocols in place for the export of Northern Territory donkey hides or meat to China.

"Most importantly, we've also been doing some economic analysis to see whether the dollars stack up," Mr Trier said.

"We undertook some economic analysis, using some assumptions drawn from a range of mechanisms about the value of donkeys in China and their productive turn-off.

"Our analysis, using Australian feral donkeys, is that it doesn't seem economically viable [to farm them for export], however using Chinese donkey genetics, there could be some economics in it.

"But then, stacking that up against an existing industry, such as cattle, which [donkeys] would have to displace unless it was on other land, cattle appear more profitable.

"From our point of view, donkeys present a diversification opportunity, but it would be a mid to long-term process."